


the future's far less daunting (walking into it with you)

by depthoverdistance



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, but the gays remain the stupidest, everyone is dramatic, everyone is stupid, roadtrip au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 13:29:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17426789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/depthoverdistance/pseuds/depthoverdistance
Summary: “You know, we as a group have had a lot of bad ideas over the years. Sun wanting to do fight club in his basement? Bad. Ruby trying to secretly adopt a dog without anyone noticing? Really bad. But this is...are you stupid?” There’s no malice in Weiss’s voice, only an undertone of weariness.(in which Blake brings everyone together for a roadtrip so Yang can get the closure she needs)





	the future's far less daunting (walking into it with you)

“You know, we as a group have had a lot of bad ideas over the years. Sun wanting to do fight club in his basement? Bad. Ruby trying to secretly adopt a dog without anyone noticing? Really bad. But this is...are you stupid?” There’s no malice in Weiss’s voice, only an undertone of weariness.

Blake feels like she’s getting lectured by her mother as Weiss lists off the reasons her idea is terrible. Actually, her mom might’ve been a little nicer about it. Ruby offers no support as she twiddles her thumbs standing off to the side. She expected this, somewhat. But she knew she needed Weiss’s support or else everything she had planned would fall apart.

“You know this would be good for her! She’s been in a funk since around graduation and this has been an issue with her for a long time.”

Weiss glances at Ruby before narrowing her eyes at Blake. “And you know just what Raven has put her through. You can’t actually tell me you think this will end well.”

She has a hard time not feeling frustrated at Weiss’s reluctance although she understands why and where it’s coming from. “I know she’s a jerk, and I know she left her own daughter. But it’s been six years! Don’t you think it’s possible for her to change? What if this is what Yang needs? She has her dad and he’s great, but you know it’s been weighing on her.”

It’s hard to read Weiss’s expression as Blake tries to give her reason to believe in her plan. Blake knew why Weiss was so hesitant. She’s known Yang all her life, including the period of time where Yang had to deal with Raven leaving. 

Weiss and Yang were incredibly protective over each other. Weiss didn’t have much of a family growing up so she spent most of her time at the Xiao Long household. Blake had heard a lot of stories from Ruby on how she essentially had two big sisters and they had always looked out for her even though Weiss picked on her the most. But she has also heard about how Weiss had basically picked Yang up after Raven had left. Yang had Tai and Ruby, but Weiss was the one who had been at Yang’s side the entire time. Something that hadn’t changed all these years.

“I think it’s a good idea, actually.” Both Blake and Weiss turn to look at Ruby who had been silent until now. “I was there too, y’know. When she left. But I never got to know my mom, and even if she had been not the best mom, I still would’ve wanted to know.”

Weiss’s face twists and Blake thinks it would’ve been a low blow if it hadn’t come from a place of complete sincerity. Ruby’s mom had died when she was a baby and Raven wasn’t really around even when she had started dating Tai for a second time. All she had ever known was Tai and Weiss knew that.

It’s silent between the three of them for a few minutes. Weiss leans back against the wall and sighs. “And how exactly would we get there?”

Blake perks up immediately, seeing her opening. “The train! Or, a car. I don’t have my own car but we could totally find one. It wouldn’t be that hard, I think. I would get everything covered, I swear.”

Ruby and Blake both look hopefully at Weiss as she seems to be deep in thought. Weiss was always hard to sell on anything, but if they were this far there was hope.

Weiss dusts herself off after she pushes herself off the wall. “I’ll think about it.” It’s the last thing she says before leaving Blake’s room.

-

Blake had actually known the second she had come up with the plan that none of it was going to be easy. A cross country road trip to find the mother who abandoned her best friend six years ago? Not really something that is easy in theory or practice.

The idea had been born from Blake seeing how Yang fell into a slump the past month after graduation. Raven wasn’t something they spent a lot of time talking about because it was for the most part still a sensitive topic with Yang. But it had started to come up more and more seeing all of their friends with their parents and not even getting a card in the mail from her mother who was very much still alive.

Maybe it was a little misguided, but she was doing it for Yang. Because she could get the closure she needed or the relationship she had longed for over the years.

She felt like she had been staring at her phone for three consecutive days while she waited for Weiss to give her a final answer. Logically, she could’ve just left Weiss behind but she knew the fallout that it would leave behind not only for her own friendship with Weiss but also how Yang and Ruby would feel about it.

As soon as her phone dinged she rolled over in bed and snatched it off her nightstand.

Weiss: _You better figure out how to get us there. I’m not taking the train either btw._

It was just the level of enthusiasm she expected from Weiss and she couldn’t help but smile. She kicked around excitedly and sat up in bed. The biggest hurdle was over with, now she just had to figure out what to do about the....other huge hurdle.

-

Neptune snorts. “Dude, I can’t just like, take a car. Do you think I can just walk up to my dad and be like ‘hey pops do you mind if I take a car with a bunch of teenagers across the country? Be back soon!’”

Blake mentally curses herself. She should’ve brought Weiss with her to make this easier seeing as Neptune had been trying to date her for months. She figured initially it would be easiest to ask Neptune considering his dad owned a car dealership. This was not the case.

“No but...what about a used one?”

Neptune just stares at her like the answer is the most obvious thing in the world. “You still have to be kidding, right?”

Blake rubs her face in frustration. “I’m not. I don’t ask anyone, especially you, for favors. If I’m asking for something you should know I’m being serious.”

He seems to take in her words and scratches his chin. “What do you even need a car for anyway? Aren’t you well off? Can’t you rent one or something?”

She tilts back in her chair a little and looks at the ceiling of the cafe. This absolutely was getting her nowhere. “It’s something I’m doing for...a friend. And I’m not old enough to rent a car. None of our friends are.”

It seems Neptune is able to read Blake’s mood and he gives her a sympathetic look. “Hey, I feel for you. I would help if I could, but you’re giving me way too much credit here. My dad would never let me take one of the cars and would have me strung up if he found out I took one. My hands are tied. But let me know if it works out?”

-

It’s been a week and Blake feels like she’s exhausted every possible option. Neptune’s family car dealership? No. Her own car? Not really hers and was shared between her and her parents so definitely not. Weiss absolutely would not let her brand new “baby” she had gotten for graduation be taken across the country. Ruby didn’t have a car. Yang had a motorcycle. She was rolled up in a blanket on her bed when she hears the text ding from her phone. She pulls it off her nightstand to get a look at who was texting her even though she wasn’t in the mood for conversation.

Jaune: _Soooo Ruby tells me you’re trying to go on a roadtrip_

Typical Ruby. Her and Jaune had unexpectedly become pretty close friends and they gossiped with each other like school girls, which made sense considering Jaune had like a hundred sisters. She didn’t get a chance to reply before she gets another text.

Jaune: _I can totally contribute money if needed, but we should make this a group thing. It might be our last chance to do something big before we all go our separate ways u know?_

Blake frowns. She hadn’t even thought of that. They were only a month into their final break before college and most of them were leaving town after the summer ended. This could totally be a two birds with one stone situation. Final group bonding activity, plus helping Yang.

Blake: _I assume you’re gonna wanna bring Pyrrha._

Jaune: _Duh!_

So now Blake had Weiss, Ruby, Pyrrha, Jaune, and no car. And also Yang, who hadn’t even been informed yet. Not exactly the way she had been wanting to do it, but she had it anyway.

-

Blake should’ve known that Jaune and Pyrrha would immediately tell Ren and Nora, who also wanted to come along. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want them there, it was just that she was now stuck with another two people coming along and still no transportation. She was on the verge of just robbing a bank and buying everyone a plane ticket. Logical.

Even then, she still hadn’t told Yang. It seemed like the first thing someone would do in this situation. But for some reason, she had been incredibly nervous about it. It wasn’t about Yang turning her down, because she knew she’d most likely be up for it. It didn’t matter though, because she couldn’t get Yang excited for something that wasn't finalized. Yang would be the last step. If she said no, then so be it. It was all about her anyway, really.

She needed a night off from the stress of planning it though. So when her parents had asked her if she wanted to have family dinner, she quickly and easily accepted.

Things had been going fairly smoothly. Kali and Ghira asked her how she was doing and what her friends had been up to, and in return she had asked them about work. Small talk as usual.

“Honey, you know, I haven’t seen Yang around here in awhile. How is she?” Of course it was Blake’s good natured mom who would be the first to bring up Yang.

Blake slowly pushed her food around her plate with her fork. As soon as Yang had been mentioned she couldn’t help but feel the urge to ask her parents for help with her car situation. “She’s good. She’s been busy lately with work and constantly fixing her motorcycle. We’ve been thinking of going on a trip, actually.”

Kali hummed and raised her eyebrow and Ghira also looked in her direction. “What kind of trip?”

“Well, uh...a long trip. The kind that goes across the entire country.”

Her parents looked at each other and then back at her. They clearly weren’t buying her fake casual attitude about it. Blake suddenly started to feel nervous as they stared at her.

Kali was the one who tried to approach it in a sensitive way, though. Much like she always did. “Is there something else to it? You know you can talk to us about anything, sweetheart.”

It was now or never. If she hesitated any longer, everyone else might find other plans or maybe her parents would just not be up for it. The moment was here and she had to take it.

She tried to quickly formulate a reasonable and well thought out speech to convince them, but in the end, her nerves got the better of her. “We need a car.”

Ghira set down his fork and tapped his fingers against the table. “Still missing a few details here, I think.”

Blake pushed her plate away from her and took a deep breath. “Okay, this might sound a little crazy but please hear me out. You guys know the situation with Yang and her mom. How she moved across the country and everything? Well, I have a solution for it. Not really a solution but a way to make things better. I want to bring Yang to see her. It isn’t something she’d ever do by herself which is why just buying her a plane ticket and sending her there isn’t an option. I know it how it sounds, trust me. But she’s...you know how much Yang means to me. I just need a car. I swear it would come back completely undamaged, and if not then I’d work the entire rest of the summer to pay it off. I’d be with a bunch of friends so we’d be safe and hold each other accountable.”

Both Ghira and Kali look almost impressed by how little she breathed during her speech. Ghira sighed and rubbed his face, Kali crossed her arms and clicked her tongue. Classic signs they were both deep in thought.

It was Ghira who spoke up first. “You know, I couldn’t really stop you if I truly wanted to. You’re an adult now and about to go off to college. But that doesn’t mean the thought of you and your friends going off across the country for something like this doesn’t make me nervous. But you’ve always been responsible. Probably more responsible than most of the kids your age.”

He looks like he wants to say more, but doesn’t. Blake waits holding her breath for either of them to continue.

Kali clears her throat. “If, and that’s a big if, we do help you I’d want constant text updates. Just to make sure everyone was safe. You absolutely would have to bring everything back in flawless condition. We know you’d probably want to sight see as well so it’d be a two week maximum. That’s it.”

Blake tries to hold herself back from getting too excited but she can’t help the grin that spreads across her face. She nearly falls out of her chair in a rush to get to the other side of the table and throw her arms around her parents. “Thank you! Thank you! I swear you guys won’t regret this. I’ll be on best behavior, at the bare minimum.”

After Blake breaks away from the group hug, Ghira takes a moment before speaking again. “So, who all would be going?”

Blake has the decency to look a little embarrassed. “Uh, a lot of people? More than one car can fit?”

-

“I hope you know there’s no other situation in the world where I’d be caught dead in the backseat of a van with you guys. I hate vans. And long drives.”

Blake hums her acknowledgement at Weiss. She had spent the past hour so listing off the reasons why normally she would never do something like this, but was anyway for the sake of her friends. She had already agreed to do it so anything she had to say just went in one ear and out the other for Blake.

Her, Weiss, and Ruby had decided to wait for Yang to get home from her job. Ruby tried to assure Blake it would be absolutely fine either way, but Blake couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

All three of their gazes shot up as they heard the front door swing open. Blake nervously smoothed out her jeans and turned away from the door as she waited for Yang to walk into the dining room.

“Hey guys...did I miss something?” Yang tilts her head slightly and slides into the chair next to Ruby.

“You’re actually just in time. We wanted to talk to you about something.” Weiss says this all while looking at Blake, and Blake knows she has to be the one to put it all out there.

Yang takes notice of Ruby and Weiss looking directly at Blake and turns directly towards her. “What’s up?”

Another now or never moment for her. If she lets her nerves get the better of her, all the work she had done to just get to this point will have been a huge waste of time.

“We want to go on a road trip.” A pause. “With you. You have every right to get up and storm out if you don’t want to do this. But we all thought it would be worth trying to reconnect with your mom. It would be us, plus some others. I’ve got the transportation taken care of.”

Blake carefully eyes Yang as she’s speaking and in the middle of her talk Yang stiffens and looks down. She knows Yang isn’t angry, because her being angry is a lot scarier than this. It’s something more like I’m scared and don’t know what to say.  
It takes a few minutes before Yang even looks up at Blake again. She knows she hasn’t blown it, but it doesn’t ease her worries at all when Yang is silent.

“Why?” There’s no simple answer to that, actually. Blake acts like it’s as simple as giving Yang closure because that’s what any other friend would do, according to her. But it hadn’t been any other friend. It had been her. It had been the person who had decided to love Yang and bury it deep down.

_For you, anything,_ Blake thinks. But she knows she can’t say that. Not now.

“You told me you one day wanted to try.” Blake’s head turns toward Ruby who had swooped in at just the right moment. She can’t help but feel more thankful than ever for Ruby always knowing exactly when someone else needs saving. “If not now, when? You’d have the moral support of all your friends, we’d get to go on vacation...I think this would be good for you, sis.”

Yang isn’t a hard person to reason with, most of the time. But Ruby always knew how to get through to her the easiest. Yang would’ve done anything for her sister, and vice versa. That included listening to her when she wouldn’t have given what she was saying the time of day coming from anyone else.

It feels like hours before any of them say anything after Ruby finishes talking. In reality, it was maybe twenty minutes. Silence never really sat well between the four of them. Typically when they all got together it was hard to shut any of them up.

“Okay. I’m in.” Yang stood up abruptly, and Blake half stood up from her chair. She had held back from reaching out and giving Yang a comforting rub on the arm. Something. Anything. There was never a time where she didn’t want to comfort her, but she always kept herself in check when she knew it was necessary.

Yang smiled at the three girls before she stepped out of the kitchen in the direction of her room. Something about it had felt forced, but they all knew better than to push the issue further when they had already gotten the best possible response.

-

Blake had a tight grip on the pair of keys her parents had given her as she watched Jaune load the last of the bags into the back. Her parents had a slightly older but still incredibly well taken care of van they were willing to let her borrow.

“Okay, so, we’re all accounted for correct? Everyone ready?” Weiss had been taking careful count of how much money everyone had given for gas, how many bags they had brought, and how many miles it would be before each stop. Give her a task and you could assure it would be done, and thoroughly.

Ren, Nora, Ruby, and Pyrrha had already found themselves situated inside the van. Yang, Weiss, Blake, and Jaune had been taking care of the final details. Everything was ready to go. Everything was fine and Blake had nothing else to stress about now before leaving.

Except what Blake didn’t expect, or want really, was to see Neptune and Sun pulling up in her driveway going a speed that absolutely was illegal in a residential neighborhood. She ground her teeth in frustration and inhaled deeply while waiting for them to exit their car and say whatever thing it was she knew was going to stress her out.

Sun hurriedly pushed the door open and started flailing his arms around. “Listen, Blake, I already know what you want to say with that look on your face! But hear me out, we want to go too! We’re all friends and part of the same friend group and quite frankly I’m a little hurt that I wasn’t extended an invite as well!”

“That’s...not really how it happened.” Blake murmured while tapping her foot impatiently.  
Sun grimaced and scratched his head. Blake couldn’t really find it in herself to be that annoyed, because he had a point. He was part of their friend group and so was Neptune. She could see how the lack on invite could’ve been seen as cold from her.

“I mean…there’s room for a few more bags and two more people. We could make it work.” Her head turned to the van as Jaune shot her a sheepish look. Almost a look of apology, but not really.

“Okay, well, normally I’d just say no and we could leave but it isn’t my choice to make.” Weiss had her arms crossed and looked less than pleased. “Blake, make up your mind. And quickly.”

She didn’t think she could take an entire summer of Sun texting her and whining about not being able to go, and she definitely couldn’t take him whining through Neptune to her by proxy. She rubbed her face and sighed softly. “Have Jaune help you get your bags packed in the back.”

Neptune and Sun started jokingly cheering and Sun rushed over to hug her. Blake was tense in the embrace as she waited for him to let go. She turned her head slightly to the right to gauge the reaction of everyone else, and she tensed up even further when she saw Yang just staring at the two of them. Expressionless and unemotive. Yang glanced down at the ground and pivoted in the other direction before walking back inside the house.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry i was on hiatus i don't have much to say abt that. i was in fact not dead. will be continuing soccer au soon.
> 
> song for this chapter is "us" by ed whicher
> 
> active on twitter @alderweirelds so u can bother me there as well to talk about gay things


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